Personal Effects
by abregaza
Summary: We all know how Kate ended up at NCIS, but how did Detective Tony DiNozzo make the transition from Baltimore PD Homocide Detective to NCIS Special Agent.


**Personal Effects**

**By Abregaza**

_DISCLAIMER:_ I do not own NCIS, nor is this written for any personal profit. The sole aim is to explore the characters I enjoy so much and hopefully spread the enjoyment while I work on the art of writing for personal enhancement.

_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_ This is a bittersweet posting. The start of something and the end of something are deeply intertwined in this piece of writing. I now only accept signed reviews for my fic. Sorry to anyone who doesn't have an account, I hope you enjoy it even if you can't tell me off for being such an infrequent poster. Thank you to Alaidh, for betaing this last collaboration between the two of us, I won't forget it. Thank you to the people who inspired me, and in particular the two people who have encouraged me to keep on keeping on. Stay Strong. Enjoy.

It was a meagre collection of items. "Personal" really wasn't the word to describe the effects the box contained.

His office was bare, but in all honesty barely altered from the way it had been an hour ago. He'd worked in this office since starting with the Baltimore PD two years ago, and the only thing that had really changed in the past hour was that he'd been fired.

Ha! Fired! He would have quit if the chief had allowed him to get a word in.

So, okay, yes he had disobeyed a direct order to leave the investigation to the NCIS team, but this was his case, his serial killer. He'd been chasing the bastard for over a month, narrowing in on him, until a naval officer just happened to turn up dead.

Anyway, if he hadn't driven that squad car into the mall, the suspect would have gotten away for sure. Pinning him to the wall with the hood was probably a little extreme, but it wasn't like he could have handcuffed the guy while he was driving.

They'd caught a serial killer. Surely that should have gotten him a little credit.

He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and collected the handful of photographs, phone numbers and messages from ex-girlfriends that resided there. He tossed them in the box with the rest of his stuff.

Into the gym bag he kept under his desk for trips to the gym after work he shoved his shaving kit, toothbrush and an odd sock. The various takeout menus pinned to his notice board went into the wastepaper bin and then he paused to look around the office for anything he might have missed.

He grabbed the "court tie" that was hanging from the inside door knob and draped it around his neck before straightening his files and putting a stray pen into the pencil holder.

Then, with a final glance around the room, he shouldered the gym bag, picked up his box of things and headed out of his life as a homicide detective into the brand new world of unemployment.

As he approached his Cobra he winced. Special Agent Jethro Gibbs of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was leaning against the driver's door.

From the scuttlebutt he'd picked up when NCIS swooped into 'his' case, he'd gathered Gibbs was protective of his turf in an investigation. Hell, what did it matter anyway? It wasn't like Gibbs could fire him, he could only chew him out a little, and there wasn't much of his ass left to chew today.

"Detective DiNozzo," said Gibbs pleasantly enough.

"Special Agent Gibbs," replied Tony, "and technically it should be former Detective DiNozzo."

"That was a damn stupid stunt you pulled today."

"It got the job done," said Tony, placing his box of stuff onto the trunk and facing off with the agent.

"It was still stupid. Irresponsible. A danger to the public. If you'd been in my command…" Gibbs let the words trail off, watching the uncomfortable reaction of the younger man.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm not in your command, then," he said defensively, straightening and shoving his keys into the trunk's lock.

"You're right. It did get the job done."

With a raised eyebrow and a wry grin, Tony straightened again.

"Pity the chief didn't see it that way."

"I don't know if 'pity' is the right word."

Tony shrugged at this statement, turning the key, and lifting his box off the trunk.

"At least I'll have time to catch up on my reading."

"You gonna get much reading in before 9.00am tomorrow, DiNozzo?" said Gibbs.

The box was dumped into the trunk carelessly, regardless that the contents spilled around the cargo space. The gym bag was carelessly tossed in as well before DiNozzo looked back up at the man who he'd thought was there to chew him out.

"You're offering me a job?"

"Well, you did almost have the guy even before we showed up on the scene, you show signs of knowing how to work a case, you seem to pick up on the details enough that you could be an asset; and most importantly, you got the job done. So yes, you're working for me."

"Don't I get a choice in all this?"

"Not unless you're looking forward to… what was it 'catching up on your reading'."

With that, Gibbs turned and walked away, leaving Tony standing open mouthed by the car.

"So… I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then," he yelled as Gibbs reached the NCIS issue vehicle he was currently using.

"I guess so," he yelled back as he pulled the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. "Oh, and DiNozzo..."

"Yes, boss?"

"You ever pull a stunt like that again and someone will be carrying you out of NCIS in a box smaller than the one you just dropped in your trunk."

END


End file.
